1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for sending messages with a print job from a remote work station to an electronic reprographic printing machine. In particular, the present invention relates to a system for sending messages from a remote user work station to an electronic reprographic printing machine for displaying the message to the system operator either on a user interface or on a banner or break page. The operator message can be sent with a fault command to the printer to stop the printer from operating until the operator acknowledges the operator message.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to transmit information contained in documents over communication lines such as telephone lines to a remote location where copies of the documents are reconstructed. Such systems typically scan the documents to form electronic images of the information contained therein, with the images then transmitted over a telephone line in the form of digital data. At the receiving end of the communication line, the electronic data may be used to modulate print apparatus for reconstructing the document being transmitted.
It is also known for users at remote locations to be networked and linked to a central printer such that pages to be printed on the printer are sent from a plurality of remote user work stations to a central printer location. Such systems allow the remote users at remote work stations to send a message with the print job, such as on the first page or last page of the job.
The related art has disclosed network printing systems which allow remote users to send messages and/or instructions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,579 to Dattill discloses a copier-printer in an information transmitting and receiving station used to receive and transmit documents. Information is received via a communication line and is temporarily stored in a buffer from which it is applied to the printer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,167,322 to Yano et al discloses an electrostatic copying apparatus comprising a plurality of copying machines. A plurality of sensors are connected to the copying machines respectively for sensing copying machine status parameters. Display means are connected to the copying machines and all the sensors are interconnected so as to display the status parameters of all the copying machines, such that the user of one copying machine can determined the status of all the copying machines.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,107 to Maito et al discloses a multi-functional imaging apparatus having an image reading section, image forming section and an external image data entering section. The imaging apparatus is capable of functioning in a copy mode and a print mode, and comprises a modum connected to a communication line for transmitting and receiving data.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,756 to Ito et al discloses a data transmission system for a computer controlled copying machine comprising one data bus structure extending from a host microcomputer with slave microcomputers connected to the data bus structure through respective branches.